The latest weekly review of civil society in Iran from our colleagues at the non-government organisation Arseh Sevom:

Publishers vs. the Islamic Republic

The Islamic Republic’s clash with private publishers has reached
alarming levels. According to a recent report
in Kalemeh, authorities have warned active publishers that they are
working “due to the benevolence” of officials and “had they wanted to
punish all offending publishers, many more of their publishing houses
would have been closed". The closures are reportedly part of an
organised attempt by the state to intentionally cause a crisis in this
sector and further weaken it.

Some have expressed concern that the publishing guild is
insufficiently strong to defend its members from government pressure.

The American author and historian, Barbara W.
Tuchman, once said: “Books are humanity in print.” They represent
our collective heritage. The Islamic Republic in Iran seeks to control
the flow of information and the types of stories told in and about
society. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has
repeatedly warned
against the threat of humanities and social sciences. As a result,
programs were
terminated last year at universities and course books are still being
revised so that they align with state ideology. Many books have
fallen into the “forbidden zone".

In the cyber world, the Minister of Communication and IT, Reza
Taghipour, announced
this week that the first phase of the ‘the national internet’ will be
launched in the Iranian month of Khordad (May-June). Radio Zamaneh
reports that Taghipour said:
“Our most important priority in the coming year is to launch the
national information network the first phase of which we shall launch
in the month of Khordad.” Ironically he added:
“The internet cannot be trusted.”

For more information about the national internet please read Arseh
Sevom’s exclusive
interview with cyber activist Walid Al-Saqaf.

“Your Excellency! Kill Me Please.”

An 86-year-old mother of prisoner of conscience, Dr. Ghassem Sho’le
Sa’di, has written an open
letter to the Islamic Republic Leader, Ali Khamenei, desperately
retorting: “Your Majesty! Please either command your men to cut my
chest open as they did with Parvaneh
Forouhar and send me to the cemetery to join my [other] martyred
son, Asghar, or have me imprisoned to join my captive child [Ghassem].
Only that way may light be shed onto my eyes and heart once again.”

The Squeeze

The ever-growing monster of inflation plus the pressure of economic
sanctions designed to convince the Islamic Republic’s statesmen to
accept constraints on the nuclear program in order to prevent the
development of weapons, are making life for people in Iran more
difficult. “I cannot save anything,” one professional told Arseh
Sevom. “I live alone and own my own home. Imagine what it’s like for
families who rent.” Radio
Farda reports that — based on the most optimistic estimations —
prices are expected to rise a minimum of 35% to 40%.

No Happy New Year for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s Children

The family of prisoner of conscience, Nasrin Sotoudeh, toldthe International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that she
was deprived of furlough despite having two small children who were
expecting to see their mother at during Nowrooz holidays. The
report reminds readers:

“Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested on 21 September 2010, and on
8 January 2011, she was sentenced to 11 years in prison, 20 years’ ban
on her legal practice, and 20 years ban on foreign travel on charges
of "acting against national security", "collusion and propagation
against the Islamic Republic", and "membership in the Defenders of
Human Rights Center". Her sentence was subsequently upheld in its
entirety by an appeals court.”

Obscene and Immoral

The militia forces of the Basij and the
para-military vigilantes of Ansar-e-Hezbollah
have yet
againremoved
two movies from cinemas in Iran: Gasht-e-Ershad (The Morals
Police) and Zendegi-e-Khosoosi (Private Life) were the
unfortunate victims of growing official cultural intolerance. The
Tehran Bureau blog adds that during Friday prayers the cleric
“Ayatollah Ahmad
Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts, called the pictures
"obscene" and "immoral".

Return of the Caspian Tiger, Jurassic Park Style

Last week, there was the news
of Iran’s decision to import several Russian tigers to revive the
population of the extinct Mazandaran
tiger (The Caspian Tiger or Panthera tigris virgate) in
Northern Iranian Miankaleh region of Mazandaran
province. An Iranian official told
reporters that they intend to gradually revive the breed by “injecting
the DNA left from fur and bones of the Mazandarani tiger specimen to
the Russian tigers.”